Railroad-crossing.



P. MGOONEGHY. RAILROAD CROSSING. APPLICATION FILED FEB.26, 1e12,

1,044,68Q; I Patented Nov. 19, 1912. E zmlu P I 0 /7 @MWOZ Wmw EH Con/97 F. MGCONBGHY.

RAILROAD CROSSING. APPLICATION ruin r215. 26, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. Emir. cl-

Patented Nov. 19, 1912.

FRED MoCONEGrI-IY, OF BRYAN, OHIO.

BAILROADOROSSING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1 9,1912.

Application filed. February 26, 1912. Serial No. 680,027.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, From MoOoNnoiiY, a citizen of the United States,residing at llrvan, in the county of lVilliams and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in llailrorid-Crossings, ofwhich the following a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in railroad crossings and has forits object to provide a simple, and ol'licient device automaticallyactuated by the wheels of a train in passing over the crossing wherebythe gaps in the rails at their intersecting points are closed, andpounding of the wheels on the rails prevented.

Another and more specific object of the invention resides in theprovision of a plurality of movable blocks, one of said blocks beingarranged at each of the intersecting points of the rails, and actuatingmeans common to all of said blocks automatically operated by the wheelsof a car passing over the crossing to shift said blocks and connect thespaced rail sections at their intersecting points whereby a continuoustread surface for the wheels is provided.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device of theabove specified character which is simple in construction, efficient anddurable in actual use and may be manufactured and installed atcomparatively small cost.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of thenovel features of construction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan View of arailroad crossing embodying the present invention; Fig. is a bottom planview thereof; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section taken on the line3-4) of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4- of Fig. 1; Fig.5 is a detail perspective view of one of the shiftable blocks; and Fig.6 is a similar view of one of the links.

Referring in detail to the drawing 5 designates a platform or basesupported upon the sill bar 6. Upon this base the intersecting trackrails '7 are arranged and secured in any preferred or approved manner.These track rails are arranged in sections, the sections of each railhaving their opposed ends spaced at the intersecting points of therails. Between the gaps thus formed in the rails, the shifting orsliding blocks 8 are arranged upon the surface of the base 5. Onesection of each rail has its -end beveled or inclined as indicated at 9with which beveled ends of the rail sections one edge of the block 8closely engages.

The base plate 5 provided. at each of the intersecting points of therails with the openings 10 in which the reduced portion 11 of the block8 is slidably disposed. A plate 12 is integrally formed upon the lowerend of this reduced portion of the block and extends upon the bottomface of the plate 5 beyond the opposite ends of the opening 10. Theupper surface of the base plate 5 is provided with troughs or channels13 leading into the openings 10 in said plate and are adapted to directall dirt accumulating upon the surface of the plate at the intersectingpoints of the rails through said openings so as to prevent the same frominterfering with the proper movement of the shiftable blocks 8.

Upon the under side of the base plate 5 the crossed levers 14 aremounted upon a pivot stud 15. The end portions of these. levers aretapered and disposed through eyes or loops 16 secured to the lower ends12 of the blocks 8. An oscillatory arm 17 is fulcrumed intermediate ofits endsas indicated at 18 upon the bottom of the base plate 5 and eachend of this arm is connected by means of a link 19 to the adjacent endof one of the levers 14:. Trip plates 20 are pivotally mounted at one oftheir ends upon the rails 7 at their diagonally 0posed intersectingpoints and the other ends of these trip plates are connected by means ofthe short links 21 to the blocks 8, said blocks being connected toopposite ends of the same lever 14f on the under side of the base plate.

By means of the above construction and arrangement of elements, it willbe readily seen that as a train approaches the crossing upon eithertrack, one of the truck wheels thereof engages the trip plate 20, theupper edge of which extends above the tread surface of the rail' Thistrip plate is forced downwardly, and the shiftable blocks 8 are movedoutwardly between the opposed ends of the rail sections at theintersection of said rails with the other rails extending at rightangles thereto, thus disposing the inner edges of said blocks in linewith the inner edges of the rail treads. The upper surfaces of theblocks are disposed in the same plane as the tread surfaces, thusforming a continuous bearing surface for the wheels at the intersectingpoint-s of the rails. In this manner the objectionable pounding noisewhich is occasioned by the present construc tion of such crossings nowin general use when the train passes over the same, is entirelyeliminated. The device consists of very few elements which are simpleand inexpensive in construction and may be assen1 bled and installed atsmall cost. As the device is entirely automatic in operation, and theparts thereof may be readily replaced when necessary, it will beappreciated that the cost of maintenance will be greatly minimized.

lVhile I have shown and described the preferred construction andarrangement of the several elements, it will be understood that theinvention is susceptible of considerable modification without departingfrom the essential feature or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is 1. In a railroadcrossing, the combination with a base plate to support the intersectingrails, rails arranged thereon having their opposed ends spaced at theintersecting points, said base plate being provided with openings andchannels in its upper surface communicating with said openings, ofshiftable blocks arranged upon the surface of the base plate between theopposed ends of the intersecting rails, and means common to all of saidblocks automatically actuated by the wheel of a train to shift saidblocks and connect the spaced rail sections to provide a continuoustread surface for the wheels.

2. In a railroad crossing, the combination with a base plate,intersecting track rails arranged upon said base plate, said railsconsisting of sections, the opposed ends of which are spaced at theintersecting points of the rails, said base plate having openingstherein at the intersection of the rails shiftable blocks mounted uponthe upper surface of the base plate between the opposed ends of the railsections, said blocks having reduced portions extending through theopenings in the base plate, plates secured on the lower ends of saidreduced portion of the blocks engaging the bottom surface of the baseplate, crossed pivoted levers mounted upon the under side of the baseplate and connected to said blocks at their ends, connections betweenthe ends of said levers to simultaneously move the same, and meansarranged along side of the intersecting rails at diametrically oppositeintersecting points thereof and connected to said blocks tosimultaneously shift the same and connect the rail sections of one trackto provide a continuous tread surface for the wheels.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

FRED MOCONEGHY.

Witnesses MILLm MoCoNEeHY, ROBERT P. HAYS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

